Nine more file to run for Luzerne County study commission

Nine more Luzerne County residents have filed nomination paperwork to run for the county’s proposed government study commission, bringing the candidate tally to 17.

April 23 primary election voters will simultaneously decide if they want to convene a commission and choose seven citizens to serve on the panel. The selected seven would only serve if the referendum passes.

Nomination papers and all required documents must be filed with the election bureau before 4:30 p.m. Tuesday (Feb. 13).

The latest candidates filing paperwork:

• Tom Bassett, of Pittston, is a music teacher and ran for state senate in the 22nd District in 2022 against Marty Flynn.

• David Chaump, of West Pittston, said in 2022 he had worked as a music educator at the Abington Heights School District in Clarks Summit since 2003 and also participated in several additional ventures in the music and entertainment field.

• Sandra DeBias, of Hazle Township, is a retired nurse practitioner with a master’s degree in nursing from Misericordia University.

• Vivian Kreidler-Licina, of Nescopeck Township, is a homemaker and ran for county council last year.

• Matthew Mitchell, of Plains Township, is a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Coordinator at the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority and served on county council in an appointed seat from June 2022 through the end of 2023.

• Mark Rabo, of Hazleton, has attended county government meetings since the beginning of home rule and is a member of the county Redevelopment Authority and the authority’s representative on the county Blighted Property Review Committee. He works as a commercial truck driver.

• Ted Ritsick, of Forty Fort, is a professional planner, a current member of the county’s Wyoming Valley Airport Advisory Board and a prior Forty Fort Borough councilman.

• Charles Sciandra, of Duryea, is retired and serves as chairman of the county Transportation Authority. He also served on the county manager search committee last year.

• Stephen J. Urban, of Kingston, is an IT support coordinator for a major food distributor. He served on county council from 2012 through 2015 and from 2020 through 2023.

Last week, eight candidates filed nomination papers to appear on the ballot in the study commission race: prior veteran county councilman Tim McGinley, of Kingston, who currently serves on the Wyoming Valley West School Board, and a group of candidates running as a seven-person team — Alisha Hoffman-Mirilovich, Fairview Township; Vito Malacari, Hanover Township; Mark Shaffer, Wilkes-Barre; Andy Wilczak, Wright Township; Fermin Diaz, West Hazleton; Claudia Glennan, Salem Township; and Cindy Malkemes, Dallas Township.

If activated, the commission must examine the county’s current home rule structure that took effect in 2012 and decide if it wants to prepare and recommend changes. The commission would be free to recommend alterations to the existing charter, an entirely new charter or a return to the prior state code system in which three elected commissioners and multiple row officers handled decisions that now rest with an 11-member council and appointed manager. Voters must approve any recommended change for it to take effect.

The commission would have nine months to report findings and recommendations and an additional nine months if it is opting to prepare and submit government changes. An extra two months is allowable if the commission is recommending a charter electing council by district instead of at large.

Like McGinley, Sciandra did not list in his paperwork at least three people he would want to serve as a “vacancy committee” to nominate someone to run in his place if he withdraws from the race or becomes incapacitated. It’s unclear if the vacancy committee omission would be considered a fatal defect if someone opted to file a challenge seeking their removal from the ballot. A court also could provide an option for the candidates to name a vacancy committee to remedy the situation.

This vacancy committee process would only apply before the primary because vacancies of elected study commission members are filled by the remaining seated study commission members.

Study commission candidates must obtain at least 200 signatures from county registered voters on their nomination papers. Voters can nominate up to seven candidates.

In May 2009, the last time a study commission was on the ballot, 20 residents from throughout the county appeared on the ballot. That commission was 11 members and ended up drafting the charter in place today.